By SUSAN STELLIN

August 12, 2014

Rates

Rooms from $279.

Basics

The 116-room Hotel Zetta is part of the Viceroy Hotel Group’s collection of “urban retreats,” which aim to bring resort-style relaxation to city hotels. In San Francisco that means a lounge that is more of a play area than a bar, with shuffleboard, a pool table and board games offering a break from the city’s turbocharged technology.

Location

Well positioned for leisure or business travel, the eight-story Hotel Zetta, which opened in February 2013, is in the South of Market district downtown, close to Union Square (for shopping) and the Powell Street cable car. The nearby Powell Street BART station provides easy access to San Francisco International Airport and Berkeley and Oakland across the bay.

The Room

Our deluxe king room felt spacious at 325 square feet, with ample space to walk around the king-size bed. The 46-inch TV, oversize butcher block desk and six-outlet adapter on the desktop added to the feeling of living large; there was also a gray upholstered armchair for lounging — or depositing bags. Dark-stained hardwood floors contrasted with a bright print rug and white bed linens, accented by a large portrait of a woman made from a collage of old computer diskettes. Two windows, facing another building and an alley, let in plenty of natural light, but we were woken up during the night by trucks in that alley; ask for an interior room if you’re willing to sacrifice light for peace and quiet.

A guest room at the hotel, which opened in February 2013.

Hotel Zetta

The Bathroom

The glass-enclosed shower was roomy, but anyone hoping for a bath might be disappointed by the lack of a tub. The well-lit bathroom had lots of counter space and a shelf below. Opposite the toilet, an image of book spines along the wall offered a whimsical take on bathroom reading, featuring titles like “Goodnight iPad,” “Dharma Bums” and “The Geeks’ Guide to World Domination.”

Amenities

Basic Wi-Fi is free, with a faster upgrade provided for $14.95 a day. There’s an in-room Illy coffee maker and the fourth-floor gym has basic equipment, plus yoga mats and a mannequin that guests can punch with boxing gloves. There’s also a game room on the second floor with that pool table and shuffleboard; a staircase leads to the S+R Lounge on the ground floor, a multipurpose space next to the check-in area that seems better suited to cocktails than coffee. During the day, the dimly lit game room could have used brighter lighting to offer a quieter place to work or chat.

Room Service

The beer, hamburger and fries and Caesar salad with chicken we ordered arrived in 20 minutes, but for a bill of $46, including a 21 percent service charge, the fries and salad felt skimpy. The poached eggs with potatoes ($7) and waffles with fruit ($16) we ordered downstairs at the S+R Lounge the next morning were tastier, but with coffee ($4 each) and tip we paid $40 for breakfast, which was difficult to enjoy with a noisy group of men drinking at the nearby bar (at 10:30 a.m.).

Bottom Line

Our room was comfortable and the location was convenient, but the communal spaces lean toward a bar atmosphere that doesn’t translate well to a place to catch up on email during the day. Skip the hotel’s pricey valet parking ($50 a day) and park around the corner at the Fifth and Mission garage ($32 for 24 hours during our stay).